Neal

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Neal: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Neal: Recorded since 1964, it reached #154 in 1976, and it stood at #4,107 in 2023.

3registrars recorded it
69times a registrar ranked it
60years from first to last
#154highest recorded position
15groupings it qualifies for

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2023

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#654
1997	#1052
1998	#1367
1999	#1130
2000	#1889
2001	#2220
2002	#1799
2003	#1771
2004	#1732
2005	#1716
2006	#2282
2007	#2741
2008	#1953
2009	#1981
2010	#2400
2011	#2390
2012	#2721
2013	#2055
2014	#2459
2015	#2319
2016	#4023
2017	#3040
2018	#2693
2019	#3937
2020	#3334
2021	#3990
2022	#2755
2023	#4107

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 40 of the 51 years from 1964 to 2014.

In 2014: #715 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #2459 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 3 national registrars across 3 regions, 1964–2023 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #204 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2014
Highest recorded position: #154 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1976 (recorded 1964–2014).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #4107 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys

Neal appears in 2 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, which has ranked it in 40 years beginning in 1964, and has registered 347 births with the name.

Neal across 2 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Neal's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#204 (1964)	#154 (1976)	#715 (2014)	40 of 51	347 (1964–2014)	20 (1976)
England and Wales · Boys	#654 (1996)	#654 (1996)	#4107 (2023)	28 of 28	227 (1996–2023)	24 (1996)

Neal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Neal in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	29	5 of 10	6
1970sbusiest	128	10 of 10	13
1980s	109	10 of 10	11
1990s	60	9 of 10	7
2000s	15	4 of 10	4
2010s	6	2 of 10	3

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 13 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Neal appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1964 to 2023. Highest recorded position: #154 in Republic of Ireland in 1976.

Neal's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2023	England and Wales	male	#4107	4	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#2755	7	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#3990	4	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#3334	5	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#3937	4	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#2693	7	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#3040	6	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#4023	4	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#2319	9	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#2459	8	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#2055	10	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#2721	7	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#2390	8	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#2400	8	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#1981	10	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#1953	10	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#2741	6	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#2282	7	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#1716	10	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#1732	9	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#1771	8	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#1799	7	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#2220	5	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#1889	6	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#1130	12	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#1367	9	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#1052	13	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#654	24	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#299	3	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#715	3	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#730	3	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#527	4	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#448	4	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#439	4	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#409	3	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#330	4	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#337	4	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#261	7	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#301	4	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#299	4	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#235	7	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#202	10	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#216	8	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#185	12	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#215	7	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#186	11	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#190	11	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#210	9	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#194	10	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	male	#197	10	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#209	9	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	male	#171	15	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#181	14	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	male	#198	13	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#228	8	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#170	16	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#173	16	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	male	#154	20	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#216	9	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#167	17	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#200	11	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#194	11	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#184	12	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#206	8	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#230	6	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	male	#222	5	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	male	#208	6	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	male	#185	7	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#204	5	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 3 registrars between 1964 and 2023, ranked in 59 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #154, first reached in 1976.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 24 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 1 year.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 39 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Nazli · #2148, 25y
Nea · #2746, 15y
Neala · #273, 19y
Neamh · #316, 8y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 3 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Norma · #154, 56y
Juliette · #155, 55y
Marielle · #152, 55y
Eilis · #158, 59y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Assumpta · #154, 22y
Gertrude · #154, 29y
Mindaugas · #154, 31y
Neill · #154, 35y

Neal was ranked #154 in Republic of Ireland · Boys in 1976. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Neal and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Neal without appearing here.

Neal moved ahead of

Barry Compare
In 2021 they stood at #3990 and #2301 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2022 that had become #2755 and #4001.
Glenn Compare
In 2022 they stood at #3990 and #2730 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2023 that had become #4107 and #4991.
Courtney Compare
In 2021 they stood at #3990 and #3990 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2022 that had become #2755 and #3449.
Garry Compare
In 2019 they stood at #3937 and #3937 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2020 that had become #3334 and #3848.

Moved ahead of Neal

Isak Compare
In 2022 they stood at #2755 and #3449 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2023 that had become #4107 and #1461.
Fredrik Compare
In 2015 they stood at #2319 and #2483 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2016 that had become #4023 and #2027.
Arne Compare
In 2022 they stood at #2755 and #3048 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2023 that had become #4107 and #2160.
Rune Compare
In 2018 they stood at #2693 and #4749 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2019 that had become #3937 and #2104.

Moved the opposite way to Neal

Alexander Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 while Alexander went from #116 to #37.
Benjamin Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 while Benjamin went from #139 to #63.
Conor Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 while Conor went from #56 to #4.
Daniel Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 while Daniel went from #19 to #3.

Moved the same way as Neal

Adrian Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 and Adrian from #65 to #129.
Alfred Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 and Alfred from #134 to #347.
Denis Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 and Denis from #21 to #148.
Edward Compare
Between 1964 and 2014 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Neal went from #204 to #715 and Edward from #18 to #106.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 3 regions, from 1964 to 2023. Highest recorded position: #154 in Republic of Ireland in 1976. Source data last verified 2026-07-22.

Neal

Neal at a glance

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Neal across 2 official records

Neal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Neal appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Names published alongside Neal

Neal and the names beside it

Neal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Neal

Moved the opposite way to Neal

Moved the same way as Neal

Neal at a glance

Neal across 2 official records

Neal by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Neal appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Names published alongside Neal

Neal and the names beside it

Neal moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Neal

Moved the opposite way to Neal

Moved the same way as Neal